Integrated resource planning for satellite systems

ABSTRACT

A system, method, and apparatus for integrated resource planning for satellite systems are disclosed. The method involves obtaining user communication demand for at least one region. The method further involves generating a beam map comprising at least one beam for each of the regions according to the user communication demand. Also, the method involves generating at least one configuration profile for the satellite system by using the beam map. Additionally, the method involves performing a performance analysis by comparing: the user communication demand versus one of the configuration profiles, the user communication demand versus actual communication demand, one of the configuration profiles versus the actual communication demand, and/or one of the configuration profiles versus another one of the configuration profiles. Further, the method optionally involves determining power flux spectral density (PFSD) for the beam frequency spectrum for each of the beams by using at least one of the configuration profiles.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation application of, and claims thebenefit of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/091,227, filed on Nov.26, 2013, titled “Integrated Resource Planning for Satellite Systems”,which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to resource planning. In particular, itrelates to integrated resource planning for satellite systems.

BACKGROUND

Currently, resources in a satellite system are allocated in a disjointedeffort, which does not ensure that all of the system constraints are notviolated. As such, there is a need for an integrated solution thatperforms resource allocation for a satellite system, while ensuring thatall system constraints are not violated.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to a method, system, and apparatus forintegrated resource planning for satellite systems. In one or moreembodiments, a method for integrated resource planning for a satellitesystem involves obtaining, by at least one computer, user communicationdemand for at least one region. The method further involves generating,by at least one computer, a beam map comprising at least one beam foreach of the regions according to the user communication demand. Inaddition, the method involves generating, by at least one computer, atleast one configuration profile for the satellite system by using thebeam map. Further, the method involves performing, by at least onecomputer, performance analysis by comparing the user communicationdemand versus one of the configuration profiles, the user communicationdemand versus actual communication demand, one of the configurationprofiles versus the actual communication demand, and one of theconfiguration profiles versus another one of the configuration profiles.

In one or more embodiments, at least one of the regions is defined by apolygon. In some embodiments, the polygon is defined by at least threepoints, where each point comprises a latitude and a longitude. In one ormore embodiments, at least one of the beams is a cell.

In at least one embodiment, the generating, by at least one computer, atleast one configuration profile involves: assigning a gateway frequencyspectrum for each gateway of the satellite system; assigning anallocation group frequency spectrum for each allocation group; assigninga beam frequency spectrum for each beam in the beam map; assigning aservice band frequency spectrum for each gateway; assigning power for acarrier of the beam frequency spectrum for each beam to achieve adesired data rate and/or link margin for each beam; verifying that theassigned power will not overdrive any components on the satellite;verifying that the assigned power will not overdrive any components oneach gateway; estimating an amount of interference the allocation groupfrequency spectrums are causing to the service band frequency spectrum;and/or using at least one of the assigned gateway frequency spectrums,the allocation group frequency spectrums, the beam frequency spectrums,the service band frequency spectrum, and the powers for the carriers togenerate at least one configuration profile. In at least one embodiment,the components on the satellite verified not to be overdriven comprise asolid state power amplifier (SSPA), a traveling wave tube amplifier(TWTA), and/or a diplexer. The tool also ensures that the GroundSatellite Base Station Subsystem (SBSS) dynamic power range is notexceeded.

In one or more embodiments, each of the allocation groups comprises atleast one terminal type. In some embodiments, at least one terminal typeis a handheld-inconspicuous device, a handheld-smartphone device, ahandheld-ruggedized device, an asset tracking device, a portable device,a semi-fixed device, a vehicular device, a maritime-small device, amaritime-large device, and/or an aeronautical device.

In at least one embodiment, the service band frequency spectrum is areturn calibration (RCAL) frequency spectrum, a forward calibration(FCAL) frequency spectrum, an absolute calibration (ACAL) frequencyspectrum, and/or a pointing reference beacon (PRB) frequency spectrum.In some embodiments, the method further involves determining, by atleast one computer, the power flux spectral density (PFSD) for each beamfrequency spectrum by using at least one configuration profile.

In one or more embodiments, a system for integrated resource planningfor a satellite system involves at least one computer to obtain usercommunication demand for at least one region; to generate a beam mapcomprising at least one beam for each of the regions according to theuser communication demand; to generate at least one configurationprofile for the satellite system by using the beam map; and/or toperform performance analysis by comparing the user communication demandversus one of the configuration profiles, the user communication demandversus actual communication demand, one of the configuration profilesversus the actual communication demand, and/or one of the configurationprofiles versus another one of the configuration profiles.

In one or more embodiments, to generate, by at least one computer, atleast one configuration profile comprises to assign a gateway frequencyspectrum for each gateway of the satellite system; to assign anallocation group frequency spectrum for each allocation group; to assigna beam frequency spectrum for each beam in the beam map; to assign aservice band frequency spectrum for each gateway; to assign power for acarrier of the beam frequency spectrum for each beam to achieve adesired data rate and/or link margin for each beam; to verify that theassigned power will not overdrive any components on the satellite and oneach gateway; to estimate an amount of interference the allocation groupfrequency spectrums are causing to the service band frequency spectrum;and to use the assigned gateway frequency spectrums, the allocationgroup frequency spectrums, the beam frequency spectrums, the serviceband frequency spectrum, and/or the powers for the carriers to generateat least one configuration profile.

In at least one embodiment, at least one computer is further configuredto determine the power flux spectral density (PFSD) for each beamfrequency spectrum by using at least one configuration profile.

The features, functions, and advantages can be achieved independently invarious embodiments of the present inventions or may be combined in yetother embodiments.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary satellite system that mayemploy the disclosed method for integrated resource planning forsatellite systems of FIG. 4, in accordance with at least one embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is schematic diagram showing exemplary beams (i.e. cells) on beammaps for a dedicated frequency spectrum and a shared frequency spectrum,in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing exemplary allocation groups comprisingvarious exemplary terminal types and cell types, in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing the disclosed method for integratedresource planning for satellite systems, in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting the traffic demand mapping process of thedisclosed method for integrated resource planning for satellite systemsof FIG. 4, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the disclosed spectrum and powerallocation (SPA) process of the disclosed method for integrated resourceplanning for satellite systems of FIG. 4, in accordance with at leastone embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing Task 1 (Assign Spectrum to Gateways) of thedisclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA) process of FIG. 6, inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing Task 2, Part A (Assign Spectrum toAllocation Groups) of the disclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA)process of FIG. 6, in accordance with at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing Task 2, Part B (Assign Carrier Frequency andBeamport) of the disclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA) processof FIG. 6, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing Task 3 (Assign Space-Based Network (SBN)Inner Core Resources) of the disclosed spectrum and power allocation(SPA) process of FIG. 6, in accordance with at least one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing Task 4 (Perform Link Analysis) of thedisclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA) process of FIG. 6, inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing Task 5 (Satellite Loading Verification) ofthe disclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA) process of FIG. 6, inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing Task 6 (Perform Space-Based SatelliteSubsystem (SBSS) Dynamic Range Verification) of the disclosed spectrumand power allocation (SPA) process of FIG. 6, in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing Task 7 (SBN Inner Core Supporting SignalsVerification) of the disclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA)process of FIG. 6, in accordance with at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing Task 8 (Generating Output to ProfileGenerator) of the disclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA) processof FIG. 6, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 16 is a diagram depicting the forward emissions process of thedisclosed method for integrated resource planning for satellite systemsof FIG. 4, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 17 is a diagram depicting the performance analysis process of thedisclosed method for integrated resource planning for satellite systemsof FIG. 4, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

DESCRIPTION

The methods and apparatus disclosed herein provide an operative systemfor integrated resource planning for satellite systems. In particular,the disclosed system comprises resource allocation (RA) tools thatprovide for an integrated solution for allocation resources (e.g.,frequency spectrum and power) for a satellite system, while ensuringthat system constraints are not violated.

In at least one embodiment, the present disclosure teaches RA tools thatprovide guidance to a user for allocating resources in, for example, amobile satellite system (MSS), and for generating the necessary systemconfiguration data (e.g., in the form of a configuration profile) forthe MSS. The RA tools manage system resources and constraints that areintroduced by integrating multiple technologies ranging from productionterminals (e.g., smartphones), satellite frequency spectrum and powerresources, ground based beam former (GBBF) resources, satellite basedstation subsystem (SBSS) resources, and the GEO (geostationary earthorbit) mobile radio (GMR)-1 third generation (3G) common air interface.

In addition, in at least one embodiment, the disclosed system ensuresthat the terminal (e.g., a Smartphone) transmit and receive power arewithin the terminal's dynamic range, ensures that the satellitefrequency spectrum and power usage do not exceed their limits,configures the support system (e.g., system calibration) to ensureproper operation of the system, ensures that the GBBF beamport usage isnot exceeded, and/or ensures proper configuration of the SBSS resourcesto be compliant to the GMR-1 3G standard.

In the following description, numerous details are set forth in order toprovide a more thorough description of the system. It will be apparent,however, to one skilled in the art, that the disclosed system may bepracticed without these specific details. In the other instances, wellknown features have not been described in detail so as not tounnecessarily obscure the system.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram 100 of an exemplary satellite system thatmay employ the disclosed method 400 for integrated resource planning forsatellite systems of FIG. 4, in accordance with at least one embodimentof the present disclosure. It should be noted that various differentsatellite systems than the exemplary satellite system shown in FIG. 1may employ the disclosed method 400.

In this figure, a beam map is shown comprising a plurality of L-bandbeams (e.g., cells) 120. It should be noted that in other embodiments,various different frequency bands (e.g., C-band, Ku-band, and Ka-band)for the beams may be used other than L-band.

In addition, various types of user terminals 130, which are able tocommunicate with each other by using the L-band beams 120, are shown.The types of user terminals that are shown are a portable laptop typedevice 130 a, a handheld-smartphone device 130 b, a maritime-smalldevice 130 c, and an aeronautical device 130 d. For other embodiments,various different types of user terminals may be employed. Refer to FIG.3 to view an exemplary listing 310 of various different types of userterminals that may be employed.

Also shown in FIG. 1 is the space-based network (SBN) inner core 140,which comprises a GEO-mobile satellite 150 transmitting and receivingL-band signals 160 from the beams 120 and transmitting and receivingKu-band signals 170 from a gateway 155. It should be noted that althoughnot shown, this exemplary satellite system comprises two gateways 155.In addition, it should be noted that in other embodiments, one or morethan two gateways 155 may be employed. The SBN inner core 140 alsocomprises radio frequency equipment 165 and a ground based beam former(GBBF) 175. The SBN inner core 140 is connected to a groundcommunications network 180 via beamports 185, which are fiberconnections that allow for the transfer of data for each beam 120 fromthe GBBF 175 to and from the ground communications network 180.

Also in this figure, the ground communications network 180 is shown tocomprise a satellite base station subsystem (SBSS) 185, a core network190, as well as value added services 195, such as asset tracking,customer care and billing services (CCBS), and legal interception. Theground communications network 180 is also shown to be in communicationwith external networks 197.

FIG. 2 is schematic diagram 200 showing exemplary beams (i.e. cells) onbeam maps 205 for a dedicated frequency spectrum and a shared frequencyspectrum, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In this figure, three beam maps 205 a, 205 b, 205 c areshown. In the first beam map 205 a, a plurality of beams 210 using adedicated frequency spectrum (i.e. a frequency spectrum only used byMexico) are shown. In the second beam map 205 b, a plurality of beams220 using a shared frequency spectrum (i.e. a frequency spectrum used byboth Mexico and the United States) are shown. And, in the third beam map205 c, a plurality of beams 240 using the dedicated frequency spectrum,and a plurality of beams 230 using the dedicated frequency spectrum andthe shared frequency spectrum are shown. In addition, it should be notedthat the exemplary beams 210, 220, 240 utilize a seven-color reusepattern (e.g., for map 205 a, beam numbers 16-22 comprise oneseven-color reuse pattern; and for map 205 b, beam numbers 23-29comprise one seven-color reuse pattern). The exemplary beams 230 utilizetwo sets of a seven-color reuse pattern (e.g., for map 205 c, beamnumbers 16-29 comprise two sets of a seven-color reuse pattern).

FIG. 3 is a diagram 300 showing exemplary allocation groups 350comprising various exemplary terminal types 310 and cell types 330, inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Inthis figure, a system engineer (SE) defines allocation groups 340 bygrouping allocation types 320 (i.e. a control channel and/or terminaltypes 310) with cell types 330. The terminal types 310 comprise, forexample, handheld-inconspicuous devices, handheld-smartphone devices,handheld-ruggedized devices, asset tracking devices, portable devices,semi-fixed devices, vehicular devices, maritime-small devices,maritime-large devices, and aeronautical devices. It should be notedthat in other embodiments, various different terminal types may be usedother than the terminal types 310 shown in this figure. The cell types330 comprise standard cells, regional cells (i.e. larger sized cellsthan the standard cells), and micro cells (i.e. smaller sized cells thanthe standard cells). In other embodiments, various different cell typesmay be used other than the cell types 330 shown in this figure.

Once, the SE has defined the allocation groups 350, each allocationgroup 350 (e.g., AG5) will comprise a cell type (e.g., standard), andallocation types, such as terminal types (e.g., handheld-smartphone,handheld-ruggedized, and asset tracking devices).

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing the disclosed method 400 for integratedresource planning for satellite systems, in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure. In this figure, in particular, thevarious different processes of the disclosed resource allocation (RA)tool 405 are depicted. The resource allocation tool 405, which is run onat least one computer, is shown to include four main processes: thetraffic demand (TD) mapping process 410, the spectrum and powerallocation process (SPA) 415, the forward emissions process 420, and theperformance analysis process 425.

The traffic demand mapping process 410 maps user demand to individualbeams (e.g., cells). The SPA process 415 comprises eight tasks. Inparticular, for the SPA process 415, Task 1 assigns a frequency spectrumfor each gateway, Task 2 assigns a frequency spectrum to each allocationgroup, Task 3 assigns the space-based network (SBN) inner coreresources, Task 4 performs a link analysis, Task 5 performs a satelliteloading analysis, Task 6 performs a dynamic range verification, Task 7verifies the SBN inner core performance, and Task 8 outputs allocationdata to a profile generator (PG) to generate a configuration profile forthe satellite system. The forward emissions process 420 performs aradiated emission analysis to check for possible frequency spillover inneighboring regions. And, the performance analysis process 425 analyzesand compares the traffic demand verses a generated configurationprofile, the traffic demand versus actual demand (e.g., obtained fromstatistics), a generated configuration profile versus actual demand,and/or a first configuration profile versus a second configurationprofile.

Also shown in this figure are various inputs into and outputs from theresource allocation tool 405. From the SE, the available L-bandfrequency spectrum 430 and the customer traffic demand objective 435(e.g., refer to FIG. 2) are input into the resource allocation tool 405.In addition, other system resource allocation (SRA) tools and functions(e.g., a beam weight generator (BWG) 440, and a profile generator (PG)445, which are both run on at least one computer) generate inputs forthe resource allocation tool 405 and/or receive outputs from theresource allocation tool 405.

FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 depicting the traffic demand mapping process ofthe disclosed method 400 for integrated resource planning for satellitesystems of FIG. 4, in accordance with at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In this figure, a SE receives regions, which aredefined by polygons, for user communication demand. Three maps 510 aredepicted to show exemplary user communication demand for an area and themapping of cells according to that demand. In map 510 a, polygon A showsa region defined by a polygon for communication demand for the army, andpolygon B shows a region defined by a polygon for communication demandfor the police.

A traffic demand aggregation tool, run on at least one computer, obtainsthe regions defined by polygons from the SE, and performs traffic demandmapping by first aggregating the polygons. Map 510 b shows the polygons(i.e. polygon A and polygon B) aggregated together. The overlap region520 of polygon A and polygon B has a higher demand than thenon-overlapped regions 530 of polygon A and polygon B. The trafficdemand aggregation tool performs traffic demand mapping by then mappingbeams (i.e. cells) to the polygons according to the demand. Map 510 cshows the beam map comprising the mapped beams. In particular, map 510 cshows the beams for the aggregated high level demand 540, and the beamsfor the aggregated low level demand 550.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the disclosed spectrum and powerallocation (SPA) process 600 of the disclosed method 400 for integratedresource planning for satellite systems of FIG. 4, in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted thatthe Tasks of the SPA process 600 will be discussed in more detail in thedescriptions of FIGS. 7-15.

The SPA process 600 is performed by a SPA tool, which is run on at leastone computer. At the start of this process 600, Task 1 assigns afrequency spectrum (i.e. a gateway frequency spectrum) to each gateway605. Then, Task 2 assigns a frequency spectrum (i.e. a allocation groupfrequency spectrum) to each allocation group (AG) 610. The process 600then determines whether the allocation group frequency spectrum issufficient 645. If the frequency spectrum is determined not to besufficient, the process 600 returns to Task 1 605.

If the frequency spectrum is determined to be sufficient, the processproceeds to Task 3 615. Task 3 assigns the SBN inner core resources 615.The process 600 then determines whether the allocation group frequencyspectrum is sufficient 650. If the frequency spectrum is determined notto be sufficient, the process 600 returns to Task 1 605.

If the frequency spectrum is determined to be sufficient, the processproceeds to Task 4 620. Task 4 performs a link analysis 620. The process600 then determines whether the link performance is sufficient 655. Ifthe link performance is determined not to be sufficient, the process 600determines whether to modify the frequency plan or to modify the power675. If the process 600 determines to modify the frequency plan, theprocess 600 returns to either Task 1 605 to modify the frequency plan685 (e.g., for a big modification), or to Task 2 610 to modify thefrequency plan 690 (e.g., for a small modification). However, if theprocess 600 determines to modify the power, the process 600 then returnsto Task 3 615 to modify the forward calibration power setting 695 or toTask 4 620 to modify the allocation power 680.

If the link performance is determined to be sufficient, the processproceeds to Task 5 625. Task 5 performs a satellite loading analysis625. The process 600 then determines whether the satellite is overloaded660. If it is determined that the satellite is overloaded, the process600 determines whether to modify the frequency plan or to modify thepower 675. If the process 600 determines to modify the frequency plan,the process 600 returns to either Task 1 605 to modify the frequencyplan 685 (e.g., for a big modification), or to Task 2 610 to modify thefrequency plan 690 (e.g., for a small modification). However, if theprocess 600 determines to modify the power, the process 600 then returnsto Task 4 620 to modify the allocation power 680 or to Task 3 615 tomodify the forward calibration power setting 695.

If it is determined that the satellite is not overloaded, the processproceeds to Task 6 630. Task 6 performs space-based satellite subsystem(SBSS) dynamic range verification 630. The process 600 then determineswhether the SBSS is within dynamic range 665. If it is determined thatthe SBSS is not within dynamic range, the process 600 determines whetherto modify the frequency plan or to modify the power 675. If the process600 determines to modify the frequency plan, the process 600 returns toeither Task 1 605 to modify the frequency plan 685 (e.g., for a bigmodification), or to Task 2 610 to modify the frequency plan 690 (e.g.,for a small modification). However, if the process 600 determines tomodify the power, the process 600 then returns to Task 4 620 to modifythe allocation power 680 or to Task 3 615 to modify the forwardcalibration power setting 695.

If it is determined that the satellite is within dynamic range, theprocess proceeds to Task 7 635. Task 7 verifies space based network(SBN) inner core performance 635. The process 600 then determineswhether the SBN inner core performance threshold is met 670. If it isdetermined that the threshold is not met, the process 600 returns toTask 3 615.

If it is determined that the threshold is met, the process 600 proceedsto Task 8 640. Task 8 outputs allocation data to a profile generator(PG). The PG, which is run on at least one computer, uses the allocationdata to generate at least one configuration profile for the satellitesystem.

FIG. 7 is a diagram 700 showing Task 1 (Assign Spectrum to Gateways) ofthe disclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA) process 600 of FIG. 6,in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.For this Task, the available L-band spectrum is used as an input 710 bythe SPA tool to assign 720 a gateway frequency spectrum to each gateway(e.g., Gateway 1 and Gateway 2) to generate 730 (i.e. output) a gatewayfrequency spectrum plan 740.

FIG. 8 is a diagram 800 showing Task 2, Part A (Assign Spectrum toAllocation Groups) of the disclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA)process 600 of FIG. 6, in accordance with at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. For this Task, the gateway frequency spectrum plan740 (refer to FIG. 7) and the traffic demand beam map 510 c (refer toFIG. 5) are used as inputs 810 by the SPA tool to assign 820 anallocation group spectrum to each allocation group (AG). Once anallocation group spectrum is assigned to each allocation group, the SPAtool determines whether the allocation group frequency spectrum issufficient 830. If it is determined that the spectrum is not sufficient,the tool returns 840 to Task 1 (refer to FIG. 7). However, if it isdetermined that the spectrum is sufficient, the tool outputs 850 anallocation group frequency plan 860.

FIG. 9 is a diagram 900 showing Task 2, Part B (Assign Carrier Frequencyand Beamport) of the disclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA)process 600 of FIG. 6, in accordance with at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. For this Task, the aggregate traffic demand 540 and550 from the traffic demand beam map 510 c (refer to FIG. 5), theallocation group frequency plan 860 (refer to FIG. 8), and the frequencyreuse pattern per beam weight type, generated by the beam weightgenerator (BWG) tool, are used as inputs 910 by the SPA tool to assign920 a L-band frequency and beam port to a carrier for each beam to meetthe traffic demand (i.e. to meet the desired data rate for each beam).The SPA tool then determines whether the allocation group frequencyspectrum is sufficient 930. If it is determined that the spectrum is notsufficient, the tool returns 940 to Task 1 (refer to FIG. 7). However,if it is determined that the spectrum is sufficient, the tool outputs950 a frequency and beam port assignment for the carriers 960.

FIG. 10 is a diagram 1000 showing Task 3 (Assign Space-Based Network(SBN) Inner Core Resources) of the disclosed spectrum and powerallocation (SPA) process 600 of FIG. 6, in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure. For this Task, the frequencyspectrum assignment for each gateway is used as an input 1010 by the SPAtool to assign 1020 the SBN inner core configuration (e.g, the chiprate, the frequency, and the power to the forward calibration (FCAL)signal, the return calibration (RCAL) signal, the absolute calibration(ACAL) signal, and the pointing reference beacon (PRB) signal (i.e. thebeam pointing signal)). The SPA tool then determines whether theavailable spectrum is sufficient 1030. If it is determined that thespectrum is not sufficient, the tool returns 1040 to Task 1 (refer toFIG. 7). However, if it is determined that the spectrum is sufficient,the tool outputs 1050 the L-band frequency, the chip rate, and the powerallocation to the FCAL, RCAL, ACAL, and PRB signals (e.g., outputs theservice band frequency spectrum (e.g., including the RCAL signal) 1060for each gateway).

FIG. 11 is a diagram 1100 showing Task 4 (Perform Link Analysis) of thedisclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA) process 600 of FIG. 6, inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Forthis Task, the frequency assignment for the carriers 960 (refer to FIG.9), the desired data rate and L-band mobile margin per terminal type,and the allocation group performance characteristics (e.g., effectiveisotropic radiated power (EIRP), gain over temperature (G/T),polarization, and activity factor) are used as inputs 1110 by the SPAtool to perform a link analysis 1120 (e.g., optimize forward L-band EIRPto achieve the desired L-band mobile margin, estimate the return L-bandmargin, estimate the forward and return data rate, export the carrierassignment data in a spreadsheet to the SE for manual modification, andre-assess carrier assignment data and estimate L-band margin and datarate). The SPA tool then determines whether the link performance issufficient 1130. If it is determined that the link performance is notsufficient, the tool exports the carrier assignment data in aspreadsheet to the SE for manual modification, or the tool returns 1140to Task 1 (refer to FIG. 7) or 800 to Task 2 (refer to FIG. 8). However,if it is determined that the link performance is sufficient, the tooloutputs 1150 the allocated forward L-band EIRP and power per carrier andthe estimated L-band mobile margin and data rate per carrier.

FIG. 12 is a diagram 1200 showing Task 5 (Satellite LoadingVerification) of the disclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA)process 600 of FIG. 6, in accordance with at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. For this Task, the allocated forward L-band EIRP andpower per carrier (from Task 4), the activity factor per allocationgroup from the SE, the cell data (i.e. cell to beam mapping anddirectivity from the BWG) are used as inputs 1210 by the SPA tool toperform satellite loading verification 1220 (e.g., calculate aggregateSSPAs loading; if SSPAs are overloaded, reduce carrier power or removecarrier; calculate diplexer loading; and if diplexer is overloaded,reduce carrier power or remove carrier). The SPA tool then determineswhether the satellite (i.e. satellite components, such as SSPAs anddiplexers) is overloaded 1230. If it is determined that the satellite isoverloaded, the tool can run an automated routine to reduce thesatellite loading or can export the carrier assignment data in aspreadsheet to the SE for manual modification, or the tool returns 1240to Task 1 (refer to FIG. 7), Task 2 (refer to FIGS. 8 and 9), Task 3(refer to FIG. 10), or Task 4 (refer to FIG. 11). However, if it isdetermined that the satellite is not overloaded, the tool outputs 1250the allocated forward L-band EIRP and power per carrier.

FIG. 13 is a diagram 1300 showing Task 6 (Perform Space-Based SatelliteSubsystem (SBSS) Dynamic Range Verification) of the disclosed spectrumand power allocation (SPA) process 600 of FIG. 6, in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the present disclosure. For this Task, theallocated forward L-band EIRP and power per carrier (from Task 4), themaximum return EIRP per allocation group from the SE, the cell data(i.e. cell to beam weight mapping and directivity from the BWG), theSBSS dynamic range, and the beginning of life (BOL) gain setting areused as inputs 1310 by the SPA tool to perform dynamic rangeverification 1320 (e.g., determine beamweight normalization; if SBSSdynamic range is exceeded, execute an automated routine to re-normalizethe beam gain or export the carrier assignment data to a spreadsheet formanual modification; and assign SBSS carrier power setting). The SPAtool then determines whether the SBSS is within dynamic range (i.e.determine whether any SBSS components are overloaded) 1330. If it isdetermined that the SBSS is not within dynamic range, the tool canexecute an automated routine to re-normalize the beam gain or export thecarrier assignment data to a spreadsheet for manual modification, thenthe carrier assignment is re-assessed and the L-band margin and datarate are estimated, or the tool returns 1340 to Task 1 (refer to FIG.7), Task 2 (refer to FIGS. 8 and 9), or Task 4 (refer to FIG. 11).However, if it is determined that the SBSS is within dynamic range, thetool outputs 1350 the beamweight normalization factor per beam and theSBSS carrier power settings.

FIG. 14 is a diagram 1400 showing Task 7 (SBN Inner Core SupportingSignals Verification) of the disclosed spectrum and power allocation(SPA) process 600 of FIG. 6, in accordance with at least one embodimentof the present disclosure. For this Task, the SBN inner core supportsignal settings (from Task 3), the allocated forward L-band EIRP andpower per carrier (from Tasks 4, 5, and 6), and the activity factor foreach allocation group from the SE are used as inputs 1410 by the SPAtool to perform SBN inner core supporting signal verification 1420(e.g., determine how much interference the allocation group frequencyspectrum is causing the service band frequency spectrum (e.g., RCALsignal), refer to frequency spectrum 1460). The SPA tool then determineswhether the SBN inner core performance threshold (e.g., interferencethreshold) is met 1730. If it is determined that the threshold is notmet, the tool returns 1440 to Task 3 (refer to FIG. 10). However, if itis determined that threshold is met, the tool outputs 1450 the SBN innercore support signal settings and the estimated SBN inner core supportsignal performance.

FIG. 15 is a diagram 1500 showing Task 8 (Generating Output to ProfileGenerator) of the disclosed spectrum and power allocation (SPA) process600 of FIG. 6, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. For this Task, the frequency spectrums and the beam portpower assignments from the previous Tasks are used as inputs 1510 by theSPA tool to generate raw data for the profile generator (PG), which isrun on at least one computer. The SPA tool then outputs 1530 raw textfiles to the PG, which uses the data to generate at least oneconfiguration profile for the satellite system.

FIG. 16 is a diagram 1600 depicting the forward emissions process of thedisclosed method 400 for integrated resource planning for satellitesystems of FIG. 4, in accordance with at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The forward emissions process is performed by aforward emissions tool, which is run on at least one computer. For theforward emissions process, the PFSD limits per region per frequencyspectrum from the SE, the carrier allocation (i.e. frequency spectrumand power from Tasks 2, 4, 5, and 6), the FCAL settings (from Task 3),the spacecraft thermal noise floor from BOL data from a database (DB),the antenna performance data from BWG, and the SSPA characteristics fromBOL data from a DB are used as inputs 1610 by the forward emissions toolto perform forward emissions 1620 (e.g., calculate traffic emissions,calculate FCAL emissions, calculate thermal noise emissions, andcalculate noise power ratio (NPR) emissions) (i.e. to determine PFSD foreach beam frequency spectrum to determine the frequency spillover inneighboring regions). The tool then determines whether the forwardemissions threshold (e.g., spillover threshold) is met 1630. If it isdetermined that the threshold is not met, the user can return to SPATask 1 (refer to FIG. 7), Task 2 (refer to FIGS. 8 and 9), Task 3 (referto FIG. 10), or Task 4 (refer to FIG. 11). However, if it is determinedthat the threshold is met, the tool outputs 1650 the estimated PFSDvalues for each beam frequency spectrum, and optionally generates a map1660 comprising the PFSD values.

FIG. 17 is a diagram 1700 depicting the performance analysis process ofthe disclosed method 400 for integrated resource planning for satellitesystems of FIG. 4, in accordance with at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The performance analysis process is performed by aperformance analysis tool, which is run on at least one computer. Theperformance analysis process, of the resource allocation (RA) tool, mayperform various different types of analyses and comparisons. Types ofanalyses and comparisons that may be performed by the performanceanalysis include, but are not limited to, a comparison/analysis of thetraffic demand (TD) versus a generated configuration profile (i.e. theplan) 1710, a comparison/analysis of the traffic demand versus theactual demand (from statistics) 1720, a comparison/analysis of agenerated configuration profile versus the actual demand 1730, and acomparison of one generated configuration profile versus anothergenerated configuration profile 1740.

Although certain illustrative embodiments and methods have beendisclosed herein, it can be apparent from the foregoing disclosure tothose skilled in the art that variations and modifications of suchembodiments and methods can be made without departing from the truespirit and scope of the art disclosed. Many other examples of the artdisclosed exist, each differing from others in matters of detail only.Accordingly, it is intended that the art disclosed shall be limited onlyto the extent required by the appended claims and the rules andprinciples of applicable law.

We claim:
 1. A method for integrated resource planning for a satellite system, the method comprising: obtaining, by at least one computer, user communication demand for at least one region; generating, by the at least one computer, a beam map comprising at least one beam for each of the at least one region according to the user communication demand; generating, by the at least one computer, at least one configuration profile for the satellite system by using the beam map; and performing, by the at least one computer, performance analysis by comparing at least one of the user communication demand versus one of the at least one configuration profile, the user communication demand versus actual communication demand, one of the at least one configuration profile versus the actual communication demand, and one of the at least one configuration profile versus another one of the at least one configuration profile.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the at least one region is defined by a polygon.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the polygon is defined by at least three points, wherein each point comprises a latitude and a longitude.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one beam is a cell.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating, by the at least one computer, the at least one configuration profile comprises at least one of: assigning a gateway frequency spectrum for each gateway of the satellite system; assigning an allocation group frequency spectrum for each allocation group; assigning a beam frequency spectrum for each beam in the beam map; assigning a service band frequency spectrum for each gateway; assigning power for a carrier of the beam frequency spectrum for each beam to achieve at least one of a desired data rate and link margin for each beam; verifying that the assigned power will not overdrive any components on the satellite; verifying that the assigned power will not overdrive any components on each gateway; and estimating an amount of interference the allocation group frequency spectrums are causing to the service band frequency spectrum; and using at least one of the assigned gateway frequency spectrums, the allocation group frequency spectrums, the beam frequency spectrums, the service band frequency spectrum, and the powers for the carriers to generate the at least one configuration profile.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the allocation groups comprises at least one terminal type.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one terminal type is at least one of a handheld-inconspicuous device, a handheld-smartphone device, a handheld-ruggedized device, an asset tracking device, a portable device, a semi-fixed device, a vehicular device, a maritime-small device, a maritime-large device, and an aeronautical device.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the components on the satellite are at least one of a solid state power amplifier (SSPA), a traveling wave tube amplifier (TWTA), and a diplexer.
 9. The method of claim 5, wherein the service band frequency spectrum is at least one of a return calibration (RCAL) frequency spectrum, a forward calibration (FCAL) frequency spectrum, an absolute calibration (ACAL) frequency spectrum, and a pointing reference beacon (PRB) frequency spectrum.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining, by the at least one computer, power flux spectral density (PFSD) for each beam frequency spectrum by using the at least one configuration profile.
 11. A system for integrated resource planning for a satellite system, the system comprising: at least one computer to obtain user communication demand for at least one region; to generate a beam map comprising at least one beam for each of the at least one region according to the user communication demand; to generate at least one configuration profile for the satellite system by using the beam map; and to perform performance analysis by comparing at least one of the user communication demand versus one of the at least one configuration profile, the user communication demand versus actual communication demand, one of the at least one configuration profile versus the actual communication demand, and one of the at least one configuration profile versus another one of the at least one configuration profile.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the at least one region is defined by a polygon.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the polygon is defined by at least three points, wherein each point comprises a latitude and a longitude.
 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one beam is a cell.
 15. The system of claim 11, wherein to generate, by the at least one computer, the at least one configuration profile comprises at least one of: to assign a gateway frequency spectrum for each gateway of the satellite system; to assign an allocation group frequency spectrum for each allocation group; to assign a beam frequency spectrum for each beam in the beam map; to assign a service band frequency spectrum for each gateway; to assign power for a carrier of the beam frequency spectrum for each beam to achieve at least one of a desired data rate and link margin for each beam; to verify that the assigned power will not overdrive any components on the satellite; to verify that the assigned power will not overdrive any components on each gateway; to estimate an amount of interference the allocation group frequency spectrums are causing to the service band frequency spectrum; and to use at least one of the assigned gateway frequency spectrums, the allocation group frequency spectrums, the beam frequency spectrums, the service band frequency spectrum, and the powers for the carriers to generate the at least one configuration profile.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein each of the allocation groups comprises at least one terminal type.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one terminal type is at least one of a handheld-inconspicuous device, a handheld-smartphone device, a handheld-ruggedized device, an asset tracking device, a portable device, a semi-fixed device, a vehicular device, a maritime-small device, a maritime-large device, and an aeronautical device.
 18. The system of claim 15, wherein the components on the satellite are at least one of a solid state power amplifier (SSPA), a traveling wave tube amplifier (TWTA), and a diplexer.
 19. The system of claim 15, wherein the service band frequency spectrum is at least one of a return calibration (RCAL) frequency spectrum, a forward calibration (FCAL) frequency spectrum, an absolute calibration (ACAL) frequency spectrum, or a pointing reference beacon (PRB) frequency spectrum.
 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one computer is further configured to determine power flux spectral density (PFSD) for each beam frequency spectrum by using the at least one configuration profile. 